Book Review

     This book review is being written for Mrs. McCoy's Honors Literature Class. The title of the book is Alas, Babylon, written by Pat Frank. The book has 303 pages and was published by HarperCollins. The book was first copyrighted in 1959 while the forward was copyrighted in 2005. I read this book because it was on my summer reading list for my Honors Literature Class. 
     
     Florence Wechek, Randy Bragg, Lib McGovern, Missouri Henry, Malachai Henry, Mark Bragg, Helen Bragg, Ben Franklin Bragg, Peyton Bragg, Dan Gunn, Bill McGovern, and Sam Hazzard are the main characters in this novel. Florence Wechek was the manager at western Union and also Randy Bragg's neighbor. She was a responsible gossip, but helped whenever and wherever she could after The Day. Randy Bragg was in the reserves for the military and he assumed command of Fort Repose after The Day because of a message sent out over Sam Hazzard's radio. Lib McGovern was Randy's girlfriend, to fiance to bride. Lib also helped around the house, cooking, cleaning, and sowing. Missouri Henry was Randy's house maid, and also the maid of Mr and Mrs. McGovern. The Henry Family was an African American family that was around Fort Repose as long as the Bragg family. Randy grew up living next to the Henry's, so they were like family. Malachai Bragg did Randy's yard work 20 hours a week, at any time, for $25. Mark Bragg was married to Helen Bragg and they had two kids, Ben Franklin Bragg and Peyton Bragg. Mark Brag sent His family, not including himself, to Fort Repose to live with Randy Bragg because their home city, Omaha, was a target area for Russia in the eminent war because of the SAC base in Omaha. Dan Gunn is the doctor for Fort Repose. He is really the only person that had real medical experience in Fort Repose so anyone that was hurt or sick called Dan Gunn, which had him driving all over town, even after The Day with limited gas. Bill McGovern was the father of Elizabeth, or Lib McGovern. He was married to Lavinia McGovern, but she passed away not long after The Day. Sam Hazzard was a retired military man who had a very important radio. This radio allowed Randy and the rest of Fort Repose know as much as possible about the world outside of Fort Repose and about the war after Randy's radio's batteries ran out. 

     Rita Hernandez, Lavinia McGovern, Paul Hart, Two-Tone Henry, and Preacher Henry were all prominent but not main characters in this novel. Rita Hernandez loaned her food truck to Randy, Bill, Malachai, and Sam in order to track down, lure in, and kill the highwaymen that beat up Dan Gunn and stole their car and his medical equipment. They succeeded. Lavinia McGovern, late wife of Bill McGovern and mother of Lib McGovern, died a few days after The Day from illness. She tended to push around Missouri, her maid, but Missouri didn't mind too much to let it get to her, though she was affected by it. Paul Hart was an old friend of Randy Bragg. Paul Hart was also the person who found the Bragg house at the end of the novel and let them know that the war was over, and that we won. Two-Tone Henry was Preacher Henry's son, so named because the right side of his face is two shades lighter than the right side. Two-Tone Henry helped out whenever he could. Preacher Henry's real name was Clarence Henry. 

     This novel was a fictional history navel set in Fort Repose in Florida, present time. Randy Bragg was trying to do everything he could to protect fort repose and the people in it, especially his close friends and family. He gets the help of those around him to find food and run water to nearby houses. There are times when the people of Fort Repose run out of necessities. When this happens, people are forced to trade nonessential goods for essential goods in order to survive, but in order for them to trade for these necessities, other people have to be willing to give it up, which can get very difficult. There is even a time when Randy and his friends have to go to a beach down the river where the "sand" is not sand at all. It is actually salt because humans nee salt, and that was the only way to get it.

     My final thoughts on "Alas, Babylon" is that it was a very well-written book, but there were times when the book was not interesting. Some of the times, when something was being described, the author seem ed to tone down the situation, which made the book less interesting. However, there were many times when the author made me get involved in the book because he wrote that situation out so clearly and precisely. This book taught me that even though times can get hard sometimes, there are always people around you that will help you stay on your feet, even though you think you cant stand any longer. This book also taught me that if you are determined, you can do anything or find anything or accomplish anything you want to do. I would definitely recommend this book to others because this book is so well written and really draws the reader in. The novel makes you feel like you are living in that situation because of how it is written.